Neighbourhood Policing Week: Officer heaps praise on Force’s new policing model

29 January 2024

An officer in the Force’s Community Policing Team (CPT) has heaped praise on Suffolk’s new policing model, saying that it is positively ‘changing public perception’.

PC Lucy Rout, who is an officer in the Force’s Community Policing Team (CMT) has spoken to Suffolk Police Federation as part of Neighbourhood Policing Week, which runs annually during January.

She said that historically, this week’s campaign involved one-off community events and local policing initiatives to engage with the public - now, with the introduction of Suffolk Police’s new policing model, there is a real focus and emphasis on neighbourhood policing and building relationships in communities all year round.

“Under our old model, during Neighbourhood Policing Week we would put something on specifically for that week which would take us away from dealing with the volume of crime,” said Lucy, who polices Holywell and Gainsborough wards in Ipswich.

“But then once that week was over, we’d be drawn back out of the neighbourhood to deal with volume crime.

PC Lucy Rout.

“It’s great we have a week for neighbourhood policing but I feel that with the CPTs, Neighbourhood Policing Week is now business as usual because that’s what we should be doing and are doing, week in, week out.”

The previous Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) model did aim to be community-focused. However, as Sergeant Rocky Hussain explains, the structure and distribution of staffing meant there was not enough cover to service frontline demand and SNT officers were drawn away to deal with volume crime.

He said: “In Neighbourhood Policing Week, they would go out and meet the community and everyone would be happy they’re seeing loads of police - but then they disappear.

“What we’re doing now on a daily basis is what they did in that community week, and what’s key is that the CPT is new.

“I call them our community proactive teams because we’re able to be more proactive and then react to the information we’re getting.

“So if we see a pattern of crime emerging or a pattern of antisocial behaviour, we’re able to react to that before it grows.

“Because we aren’t pulled elsewhere, we have some licence to go out, be proactive and disrupt crime where it’s happening, disrupt antisocial behaviour before it grows.

Suffolk Police introduced its new policing model in December and Lucy said it is already changing perceptions among members of the public.

“I think people have responded really well,” she said. “People I’ve spoken to have said that it’s what we need. Just from a public perception point of view, it already feels positive.

“Changing that public perception is important because the perception of crime doesn’t equate to the figures.”

Lucy explained that it is about getting the ‘teams faces known’, as she admits that some of the local schoolchildren are already beginning to recognise her.

“It’s getting our face known. It’s trying to get away from the perception that there’s a police officer 'what’s gone on?' to ‘hey, that’s Lucy. I know her because she’s been working in the community’," she added.

“Some of the kids already recognise me from being in their schools when they see me out on patrol at weekends.

“We want that link. We want to build up that rapport, that’s a big part of it.”